Beauty or The Beast?

It must be true that some ugly cars still sell well if they are regarded as being good vehicles.

There are plenty of examples of these through motoring history such as the frog eyed Sprite (Austin Healy), even the E Type Jag and more modern abominations of the Fiat Multipla (Bug-eye), Ford Scorpio (Fish face) and the worst of the lot the Ssangyong Rodius (What the F**p?).

My son, in his younger years on family drives would visually tick off Supercars and rare marques affording them points according to status and price.

The sighting however of a Rodius immediately nulled and voided any accumulated total- such was the horror of the, dare I say it, styling.


There can be endearing nicknames for other makes and models and with just about all having a die-hard core of enthusiasts who maintain a website, owners forum and can be relied upon to advise on any related queries or issues. Hence, Scoobies for Subaru, Moggies for Minors, Herbies for Beetles and even, as I tailgated a battered old motor last week, an owners club for the Ford Mondeo.

The car on the left is a VW 1600 Squareback, also with a bit of a fan club. This one is my brother's car and has been in the family from brand new in 1971.

So, into this illustrious gallery of owners and fans please welcome those who staunchly support and continue to preserve the Landcrab.

This is the pet name given to an oddly styled mid range family saloon which in 1965 was announced as Europe's Car of the Year. It followed the British winner of the previous year, the Rover 2000 and in successive years until the new decade the honours went to Renault 16, Fiat 124, NSU Ro80 and the Peugeot 504, so pretty illustrious company in that accolade.

Yes, it was a bit elongated, misproportioned and strangely Soviet looking but its pedigree could not be faulted having been designed by the automotive wizard, Alec Issigonis who had already established himself with the Mini and Morris Minor.

His sideways driving implied Landcrab was the Morris 1800 which quite revolutionary for the era was also badged up to appeal to different tastes and wallets as an Austin and a Wolseley. The list price in 1964 was £828 comparing well for a generously sized car with a Hillman Super Minx at £854, the sporty Lotus Cortina at £1100 and the striking Ford Capri coupe at £890.

Big things were expected of it by the British Motor Corporation and in total some 386000 were manufactured of which 95,271 were under the Morris name. Issigonis could conjur up maximum space in a car as he had acheived in the diminutive Mini and the midwives favourite, the Minor and the Morris derivative was no different. It was of huge interior volume, a true four door and with a decent boot space and as such found a niche in the market in that sector.

The front wheel drive and transverse mounted engine were tried and tested BMC components and made for good and unfussy handling although by modern standards an 1800cc engine may have been somewhat under powered for a hefty steel body shell. There were some reliability issues such as a prolific rate of oil consumption and the steering was actually quite heavy.

A rally version did compete quite effectively in home based and continental events although a few strategically placed stickers and a flashy paint job did not hide the crustacean similarity. Versions under the names of Bolanza, Kimberley, Windsor and Monaco were exported to Holland, Belgium, Denmark and through the Empire. Sales Catalogues of the time did not have a great range of colours and the likes of Wild Moss, Teal Blue, Harvest Gold and Green Mallard were not that dynamic or thrilling.

As with many BMC and later BL production the harsh northern european climate and rock salt served to perforate the bodywork and according to the website "How many left?" there were, as at 2017, only around 75 Morris 1800's on the road and a few more stashed off it, typically someones perpetually postponed restoration project.

I have been carefully stalking this 1972 model which suddenly appeared in a nearby street to my home. It has moved a few times and appears to be in regular daily use. It appears wholly original and authentic although those at Landcrab may be able to able to spot fillers and fibre glass panels.

A glimpse through the driver side window suggested a mileage of 82,332 . This could be genuine or as a result of one or more times around the clock as an average of only 1789 miles per year for its 46 years is too good to be true.

Today, I summoned up enough courage to take a few photos which inspired me to write about this important piece of British Motoring Character.

                                It is certainly a bit  ugly but in some respects a thing of beauty.